Transport charge offload management

ABSTRACT

An example operation includes one or more of initiating, by a transport, a request to provide a first portion of stored energy to a charging station, determining, by the charging station, an actual amount of energy needed by the transport, wherein the determining is based on a first destination of the transport and on data received by the charging station based on a route associated with the first destination, wherein the actual amount of energy is not the same amount as the first portion of stored energy, and depositing, by the transport, the actual amount of energy in the charging station.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. non-provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 16/854,884, filed on Apr. 21, 2020, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

This application is related to co-pending U.S. non-provisional patentapplication entitled, “VEHICLE TO VEHICLE WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER,” andco-pending U.S. non-provisional patent application entitled, “LOADEFFECTS ON TRANSPORT ENERGY,” all of which were filed on Apr. 21, 2020and are each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Vehicles or transports, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, planes,trains, etc., generally provide transportation needs to occupants and/orgoods in a variety of ways. Functions related to transports may beidentified and utilized by various computing devices, such as asmartphone or a computer located on and or off of the transport.

SUMMARY

One example embodiment provides a method that includes one or more ofinitiating, by a transport, a request to provide a first portion ofstored energy to a charging station, determining, by the chargingstation, an actual amount of energy needed by the transport, wherein thedetermining is based on a first destination of the transport and on datareceived by the charging station based on a route associated with thefirst destination, wherein the actual amount of energy is not the sameamount as the first portion of stored energy, and depositing, by thetransport, the actual amount of energy in the charging station.

Another example embodiment provides a transport that includes aprocessor and a memory, coupled to the processor, comprisinginstructions that when executed by the processor are configured toperform one or more of initiate, by a transport, a request to provide afirst portion of stored energy to a charging station, determine, by thecharging station, an actual amount of energy needed by the transport,wherein the charging station determines the actual amount of energy isbased on a first destination of the transport and on data received bythe charging station based on a route associated with the firstdestination, wherein the actual amount of energy is not the same amountas the first portion of stored energy, and deposit, by the transport,the actual amount of energy in the charging station.

A further example embodiment provides a non-transitory computer readablemedium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform one or more of receiving, by the charging station,the request, calculating a distance surplus, by the charging station,based on a current location of the transport and one or more of weatherconditions, road conditions, road construction, and a condition of thetransport, transmitting the distance surplus to the transport, andincreasing, by the transport, the actual amount of energy by an amountof energy reflecting the distance surplus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system of transport charge offload,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 2A illustrates a transport network diagram, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 2B illustrates another transport network diagram, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 2C illustrates yet another transport network diagram, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a machine learning transport network diagram,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example vehicle configuration for managingdatabase transactions associated with a vehicle, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 5B illustrates another example vehicle configuration for managingdatabase transactions conducted among various vehicles, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 6A illustrates a blockchain architecture configuration, accordingto example embodiments.

FIG. 6B illustrates another blockchain configuration, according toexample embodiments.

FIG. 6C illustrates a blockchain configuration for storing blockchaintransaction data, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 6D illustrates example data blocks, according to exampleembodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example system that supports one or more of theexample embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be readily understood that the instant components, as generallydescribed and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments of at least one of amethod, apparatus, non-transitory computer readable medium and system,as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit thescope of the application as claimed but is merely representative ofselected embodiments.

The instant features, structures, or characteristics as describedthroughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases “exampleembodiments”, “some embodiments”, or other similar language, throughoutleast this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentmay be included in at one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases“example embodiments”, “in some embodiments”, “in other embodiments”, orother similar language, throughout this specification do not necessarilyall refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments. In the diagrams, any connection betweenelements can permit one-way and/or two-way communication even if thedepicted connection is a one-way or two-way arrow. In the currentsolution, a transport may include one or more of cars, trucks, walkingarea battery electric vehicle (BEV), e-Palette, fuel cell bus,motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, boats, recreational vehicles, planes,and any object that may be used to transport people and or goods fromone location to another.

In addition, while the term “message” may have been used in thedescription of embodiments, the application may be applied to many typesof network data, such as, a packet, frame, datagram, etc. The term“message” also includes packet, frame, datagram, and any equivalentsthereof. Furthermore, while certain types of messages and signaling maybe depicted in exemplary embodiments they are not limited to a certaintype of message, and the application is not limited to a certain type ofsignaling.

Example embodiments provide methods, systems, components, non-transitorycomputer readable media, devices, and/or networks, which provide atleast one of: a transport (also referred to as a vehicle herein) a datacollection system, a data monitoring system, a verification system, anauthorization system and a vehicle data distribution system. The vehiclestatus condition data, received in the form of communication updatemessages, such as wireless data network communications and/or wiredcommunication messages, may be received and processed to identifyvehicle/transport status conditions and provide feedback as to thecondition changes of a transport. In one example, a user profile may beapplied to a particular transport/vehicle to authorize a current vehicleevent, service stops at service stations, and to authorize subsequentvehicle rental services.

Within the communication infrastructure, a decentralized database is adistributed storage system, which includes multiple nodes thatcommunicate with each other. A blockchain is an example of adecentralized database, which includes an append-only immutable datastructure (i.e. a distributed ledger) capable of maintaining recordsbetween untrusted parties. The untrusted parties are referred to hereinas peers, nodes or peer nodes. Each peer maintains a copy of thedatabase records and no single peer can modify the database recordswithout a consensus being reached among the distributed peers. Forexample, the peers may execute a consensus protocol to validateblockchain storage entries, group the storage entries into blocks, andbuild a hash chain via the blocks. This process forms the ledger byordering the storage entries, as is necessary, for consistency. In apublic or permissionless blockchain, anyone can participate without aspecific identity. Public blockchains can involve cryptocurrencies anduse consensus based on various protocols such as proof of work (PoW). Onthe other hand, a permissioned blockchain database provides a system,which can secure interactions among a group of entities, which share acommon goal, but which do not or cannot fully trust one another, such asbusinesses that exchange funds, goods, information, and the like. Theinstant solution can function in a permissioned and/or a permissionlessblockchain setting.

Smart contracts are trusted distributed applications, which leveragetamper-proof properties of the shared or distributed ledger (i.e., whichmay be in the form of a blockchain) database and an underlying agreementbetween member nodes, which is referred to as an endorsement orendorsement policy. In general, blockchain entries are “endorsed” beforebeing committed to the blockchain while entries, which are not endorsedare disregarded. A typical endorsement policy allows smart contractexecutable code to specify endorsers for an entry in the form of a setof peer nodes that are necessary for endorsement. When a client sendsthe entry to the peers specified in the endorsement policy, the entry isexecuted to validate the entry. After validation, the entries enter anordering phase in which a consensus protocol is used to produce anordered sequence of endorsed entries grouped into blocks.

Nodes are the communication entities of the blockchain system. A “node”may perform a logical function in the sense that multiple nodes ofdifferent types can run on the same physical server. Nodes are groupedin trust domains and are associated with logical entities that controlthem in various ways. Nodes may include different types, such as aclient or submitting-client node, which submits an entry-invocation toan endorser (e.g., peer), and broadcasts entry-proposals to an orderingservice (e.g., ordering node). Another type of node is a peer node,which can receive client submitted entries, commit the entries andmaintain a state and a copy of the ledger of blockchain entries. Peerscan also have the role of an endorser, although it is not a requirement.An ordering-service-node or orderer is a node running the communicationservice for all nodes, and which implements a delivery guarantee, suchas a broadcast to each of the peer nodes in the system when committingentries and modifying a world state of the blockchain, which is anothername for the initial blockchain entry, which normally includes controland setup information.

A ledger is a sequenced, tamper-resistant record of all statetransitions of a blockchain. State transitions may result from smartcontract executable code invocations (i.e., entries) submitted byparticipating parties (e.g., client nodes, ordering nodes, endorsernodes, peer nodes, etc.). An entry may result in a set of assetkey-value pairs being committed to the ledger as one or more operands,such as creates, updates, deletes, and the like. The ledger includes ablockchain (also referred to as a chain), which is used to store animmutable, sequenced record in blocks. The ledger also includes a statedatabase, which maintains a current state of the blockchain. There istypically one ledger per channel. Each peer node maintains a copy of theledger for each channel of which they are a member.

A chain is an entry log structured as hash-linked blocks, and each blockcontains a sequence of N entries, where N is equal to or greater thanone. The block header includes a hash of the block's entries, as well asa hash of the prior block's header. In this way, all entries on theledger may be sequenced and cryptographically linked together.Accordingly, it is not possible to tamper with the ledger data withoutbreaking the hash links. A hash of a most recently added blockchainblock represents every entry on the chain that has come before it,making it possible to ensure that all peer nodes are in a consistent andtrusted state. The chain may be stored on a peer node file system (i.e.,local, attached storage, cloud, etc.), efficiently supporting theappend-only nature of the blockchain workload.

The current state of the immutable ledger represents the latest valuesfor all keys that are included in the chain entry log. Because thecurrent state represents the latest key values known to a channel, it issometimes referred to as a world state. Smart contract executable codeinvocations execute entries against the current state data of theledger. To make these smart contract executable code interactionsefficient, the latest values of the keys may be stored in a statedatabase. The state database may be simply an indexed view into thechain's entry log, it can therefore be regenerated from the chain at anytime. The state database may automatically be recovered (or generated ifneeded) upon peer node startup, and before entries are accepted.

A blockchain is different from a traditional database in that theblockchain is not a central storage but rather a decentralized,immutable, and secure storage, where nodes must share in changes torecords in the storage. Some properties that are inherent in blockchainand which help implement the blockchain include, but are not limited to,an immutable ledger, smart contracts, security, privacy,decentralization, consensus, endorsement, accessibility, and the like.

Example embodiments provide a way for providing a vehicle service to aparticular vehicle and/or requesting user associated with a user profilethat is applied to the vehicle. For example, a user may be the owner ofa vehicle or the operator of a vehicle owned by another party. Thevehicle may require service at certain intervals and the service needsmay require authorization prior to permitting the services to bereceived. Also, service centers may offer services to vehicles in anearby area based on the vehicle's current route plan and a relativelevel of service requirements (e.g., immediate, severe, intermediate,minor, etc.). The vehicle needs may be monitored via one or moresensors, which report sensed data to a central controller computerdevice in the vehicle, which in turn, is forwarded to a managementserver for review and action.

A sensor may be located on one or more of the interior of the transport,the exterior of the transport, on a fixed object apart from thetransport, and on another transport near to the transport. The sensormay also be associated with the transport's speed, the transport'sbraking, the transport's acceleration, fuel levels, service needs, thegear-shifting of the transport, the transport's steering, and the like.The notion of a sensor may also be a device, such as a mobile device.Also, sensor information may be used to identify whether the vehicle isoperating safely and whether the occupant user has engaged in anyunexpected vehicle conditions, such as during the vehicle access period.Vehicle information collected before, during and/or after a vehicle'soperation may be identified and stored in a transaction on ashared/distributed ledger, which may be generated and committed to theimmutable ledger as determined by a permission granting consortium, andthus in a “decentralized” manner, such as via a blockchain membershipgroup.

Each interested party (i.e., company, agency, etc.) may want to limitthe exposure of private information, and therefore the blockchain andits immutability can limit the exposure and manage permissions for eachparticular user vehicle profile. A smart contract may be used to providecompensation, quantify a user profile score/rating/review, apply vehicleevent permissions, determine when service is needed, identify acollision and/or degradation event, identify a safety concern event,identify parties to the event and provide distribution to registeredentities seeking access to such vehicle event data. Also, the resultsmay be identified, and the necessary information can be shared among theregistered companies and/or individuals based on a “consensus” approachassociated with the blockchain. Such an approach could not beimplemented on a traditional centralized database.

Autonomous driving systems can utilize software, an array of sensors aswell as machine learning functionality, lidar projectors, radar,ultrasonic sensors, etc. to create a map of terrain and road that atransport can use for navigation and other purposes. In someembodiments, GPS, maps, cameras, sensors, and the like can also be usedin autonomous vehicles in place of lidar.

The instant solution includes, in certain embodiments, authorizing avehicle for service via an automated and quick authentication scheme.For example, driving up to a charging station or fuel pump may beperformed by a vehicle operator and the authorization to receive chargeor fuel may be performed without any delays provided the authorizationis received by the service station. A vehicle may provide acommunication signal that provides an identification of a vehicle thathas a currently active profile linked to an account that may beauthorized to accept a service, which can be later rectified bycompensation. Additional measures may be used to provide furtherauthentication, such as another identifier may be sent from the user'sdevice wirelessly to the service center to replace or supplement thefirst authorization effort between the transport and the service centerwith an additional authorization effort.

Data shared and received may be stored in a database, which maintainsdata in one single database (e.g., database server) and generally at oneparticular location. This location is often a central computer, forexample, a desktop central processing unit (CPU), a server CPU, or amainframe computer. Information stored on a centralized database istypically accessible from multiple different points. A centralizeddatabase is easy to manage, maintain, and control, especially forpurposes of security because of its single location. Within acentralized database, data redundancy is minimized as a single storingplace of all data also implies that a given set of data only has oneprimary record.

FIG. 1 illustrates example system 100 of transport charge offload,according to example embodiments. A transport or vehicle 104 may be anelectric vehicle (EV) that includes stored energy 108 in a battery orother form of energy storage device. In one embodiment, the transport orvehicle 104 receives electric energy at a charging station 112. Inanother embodiment, the transport or vehicle 104 may receive electricenergy from solar panels or other means associated with the transport orvehicle 104. In yet another embodiment, the transport or vehicle 104 mayreceive electric energy from either or both of a charging station 112and/or solar panels or other means associated with the transport orvehicle 104. The stored energy 108 may be gradually depleted as thetransport or vehicle 104 travels about, which limits the driving rangeof the transport or vehicle 104. Thus, the driving range is maximizedwhen the stored energy 108 is at a maximum capacity of the battery.

At times, the transport 104 or a driver or owner of the transport 104may be motivated to transfer back to a charging station 112 some unusedportion of the stored energy 108. The charging station 112 may bephysically located in their residence, near the residence, or atpotentially many locations in proximity to a residence. In someembodiments, the transport 104, owner, or driver may receive a credit ofsome kind as a reward for transferring back the portion of the storedenergy 108. Thus, a transport 104 or owner/driver may be motivated tolook for opportunities to transfer back unused energy. For example, atransport 104 may commute to a job location some distance away from aresidence each weekday and may receive a full charge of stored energy108 overnight. When returning from a job location later in the day, adriver may know they do not need to make any additional stops or tripson the way home or on the way to a charging station 112. They maytherefore recognize an opportunity to transfer back a first portion ofthe stored energy. The transport 104 then may transfer a request toprovide the first portion of stored energy 116 to a charging station112. In one embodiment, after determining an actual amount of energy,the charging station 112 may provide a notification of the actual amountof energy 120 to the transport 104.

Having received the request 116, the charging station 112 next maydetermine an actual amount of energy needed by the transport 104. Thedetermination may be based on a first destination of the transport 104and on data received by the charging station 112 based on a routeassociated with the first destination. The actual amount of energy maynot the same amount of energy as the first portion of stored energy. Inone embodiment, the actual amount of energy may include less energy asthe first portion of stored energy. For example, the charging station112 may determine that other factors should be considered that mayreduce the actual amount of energy. In another embodiment, the actualamount of energy may include more energy than the first portion ofstored energy. For example, the charging station 112 may determine thefirst portion of stored energy was too conservatively determined. In yetanother embodiment, the actual amount of energy may include a sameamount of energy as the first portion of stored energy.

Once the transport 104 arrives at the charging station 112, thetransport 104 may deposit the actual amount of energy 124 to thecharging station 112. In most embodiments, this requires a directconnection between the transport 104 and the charging station 112. Atthis point, the transport 104 may either require some form of rechargingstored energy 108 to continue traveling, have an amount of remainingstored energy 108 to reach another charging station 112, or have anamount of remaining stored energy 108 to complete one or more trips toalternate destinations.

In one embodiment, the request 116 may include a distance to reach thefirst destination. The charging station 112, responsive to the request116, may calculate a distance surplus based on a current location of thetransport 104 and any of a weather condition, road condition, roadconstruction, or a condition of the transport 104. For example, animproving weather report or a primarily downhill roadway between thecurrent location of the transport 104 and the charging station 112 mayresult in a distance surplus. The charging station 112 may then transmitthe distance surplus to the transport 104, perhaps in the form of thenotification of the actual amount of energy 120. Upon receiving thedistance surplus, the transport 104 may increase the actual amount ofenergy by an amount of energy corresponding to the distance surplus, andthereby deposit an increased amount of energy 124.

In another embodiment, the charging station 112 may calculate one ormore alternate routes to the first destination. One or more of thealternate routes may include an actual amount of energy less than thefirst portion of stored energy. The transport 104 may determine byitself an optimal route among the one or more alternate routes, andfollow the optimal route to the first destination. In anotherembodiment, the transport 104 may transfer the one or more alternateroutes to the charging station 112, and the charging station 112 maydetermine the optimal route from the one or more alternate routes. Thecharging station 112 may then transfer the optimal route to thetransport 104, which follows the optimal route to the first destination.

In another embodiment, the transport 104 may receive a notification toprovide updates to the first portion of stored energy 116. At variousintervals, the transport 104 may calculate changes to the first portionof stored energy. The intervals may be intervals of time, for exampleevery minute. The intervals may also be intervals of distance, forexample every mile. The intervals may also be irregular in nature, suchas every time another transport travelling in an opposite direction onthe same roadway passes the transport 104 in an opposite direction. Inanother embodiment, the intervals may be roadway-related. For example, atransport 104 may be approaching an intersection with another roadway oran off-ramp (such as along a highway) from the current roadway. Byre-computing the first portion of stored energy at intervals, thetransport 104 has an opportunity to provide a more accurate andup-to-date first portion 116 notification to the charging station 112.In one embodiment, the transport may provide a first portion 116 updateat each interval. In another embodiment, the transport 104 may onlyprovide a first portion 116 update if it is different than a previousfirst portion 116 communicated to the charging station 112.Advantageously, this may result in fewer transmissions 116, 120 andcalculations by the charging station 112. In response to receiving afirst portion 116 update at an interval, the charging station 112 mayre-compute the actual amount of stored energy, which may be provided asa notification 120 back to the transport 104.

In another embodiment, the charging station 112 may receive anotification from the transport 104 that the transport 104 needs to makean additional trip after reaching the charging station 112. The chargingstation 112 then calculates an amount of energy for the transport 104 tomake the additional trip, and in response reduces the actual amount ofenergy by the amount of energy to make the additional trip. Anotification of the reduced actual amount of energy 120 may then beprovided to the transport 104.

In another embodiment, the charging station 112 may calculate a secondportion of stored energy less than the first portion of stored energy116, in order for the transport 104 to proceed from a current locationto a location of another charging station that may be closer to acurrent location of the transport 104. The charging station 112 mayassign the other charging station to a second destination, and re-directthe transport 104 to proceed to the second destination.

In another embodiment, the charging station 112 may determine that thefirst portion of stored energy 116 is less than a threshold. Forexample, the threshold may represent a minimum increment of storedenergy to be transferred in order to be cost-effective or otherwiseefficient in some way. Therefore, the first portion of stored energy 116may not initially meet this threshold. The charging station 112 may inresponse redirect another transport to travel along a second routelonger than a first route, where the second route may include anoriginal route assigned to the transport 104. In context, the transport104 and other transport may be part of a package delivery service, whereboth transports may be associated with the charging station 112. Byredirecting the other transport to travel along the original routeassigned to the transport 104, package delivery requirements may stillbe met while allowing the transport 104 to consume less stored energy108. The charging station 112 may then redirect the transport 104 totake a shorter route to the charging station 112. In the preferredembodiment, the shorter route may result in one or both of the firstportion of stored energy 116 or the actual amount of energy exceedingthe threshold, thus making the redirection efficient or cost-effective.

In another embodiment. a charging station 112 or charging system (CS)may inform the transport 104 that although the transport 104 may requesta driving distance capacity (in the form of stored energy 108) remainingin the transport 104 after providing energy, the charging station 112may leave the requested driving distance+/−a number of distanceremaining. The CS may know a destination of the transport 104,Alternately, the CS may infer the destination by an ID # or vehicleidentification number (VIN), knowing the normal route of the transport104, interactions with a calendar application of the driver, etc. Forexample, a transport 104 may be returning to an originating location dueto a time of day, normal routes, etc. A transport 104 may request tohave a distance left, but the CS may inform the driver that the driveractually requires a longer distance due to an accident on a highway onthe way back. Machine learning and/or a feedback loop may be used from atransport 104 on a roadway heading toward a destination that may be acharging station 112.

In another embodiment, a driver may input a remaining distance and thesystem (CS) may infer certain things. For example, the CS may understandwhere the driver is going and requires 9.6 miles of charge, and not 8miles—because of conditions such as an accident, hills, traffic,weather, the location of other transports, etc., The system may overridewhat the transport 104 originally requests and may leave the transport104 with 9.6 miles instead of the requested 8 miles, as an example.

In another example, a feedback loop may be utilized between the CS andthe transport 104. The CS may have notified a previous transport that itneeded X miles to get to a destination or charging station 112. However,according to real time data, the transport 104 may actually require X+2miles. Therefore, a current transport 104 may have distance adjustedbased on the previous transport's request and actual use. A real-timedetermination may be made based on the previous transport's actual use.

FIG. 2A illustrates a transport network diagram 200, according toexample embodiments. The network comprises elements including atransport node 202 including a processor 204, as well as a transportnode 202′ including a processor 204′. The transport nodes 202, 202′communicate with one another via the processors 204, 204′, as well asother elements (not shown) including transceivers, transmitters,receivers, storage, sensors and other elements capable of providingcommunication. The communication between the transport nodes 202, 202′can occur directly, via a private and/or a public network (not shown) orvia other transport nodes and elements comprising one or more of aprocessor, memory, and software. Although depicted as single transportnodes and processors, a plurality of transport nodes and processors maybe present. One or more of the applications, features, steps, solutions,etc., described and/or depicted herein may be utilized and/or providedby the instant elements.

FIG. 2B illustrates another transport network diagram 210, according toexample embodiments. The network comprises elements including atransport node 202 including a processor 204, as well as a transportnode 202′ including a processor 204′. The transport nodes 202, 202′communicate with one another via the processors 204, 204′, as well asother elements (not shown) including transceivers, transmitters,receivers, storage, sensors and other elements capable of providingcommunication. The communication between the transport nodes 202, 202′can occur directly, via a private and/or a public network (not shown) orvia other transport nodes and elements comprising one or more of aprocessor, memory, and software. The processors 204, 204′ can furthercommunicate with one or more elements 230 including sensor 212, wireddevice 214, wireless device 216, database 218, mobile phone 220,transport node 222, computer 224, I/O device 226 and voice application228. The processors 204, 204′ can further communicate with elementscomprising one or more of a processor, memory, and software.

Although depicted as single transport nodes, processors and elements, aplurality of transport nodes, processors and elements may be present.Information or communication can occur to and/or from any of theprocessors 204, 204′ and elements 230. For example, the mobile phone 220may provide information to the processor 204, which may initiate thetransport node 202 to take an action, may further provide theinformation or additional information to the processor 204′, which mayinitiate the transport node 202′ to take an action, may further providethe information or additional information to the mobile phone 220, thetransport node 222, and/or the computer 224. One or more of theapplications, features, steps, solutions, etc., described and/ordepicted herein may be utilized and/or provided by the instant elements.

FIG. 2C illustrates yet another transport network diagram 240, accordingto example embodiments. The network comprises elements including atransport node 202 including a processor 204 and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium 242C. The processor 204 is communicably coupledto the computer readable medium 242C and elements 230 (which weredepicted in FIG. 2B).

The processor 204 performs one or more of the following steps. At block244C, a transport 104 initiates a request to provide a first portion ofstored energy 116 to a charging station 112. The charging station 112provides stored energy 108 to the transport or vehicle 104, and also mayreceive a portion of stored energy 108 from the transport 104. At block246C, the transport 104 receives a notification of an actual amount ofenergy 120 from the charging station 112. In one embodiment, thecharging station 112 calculates the actual amount of energy based on afirst destination of the transport 104 and on data received by thecharging station 112 based on a route associated with the firstdestination. The actual amount of energy is not the same amount as thefirst portion of stored energy. At block 248C, the transport 104deposits the actual amount of energy 124 in the charging station 112. Atthis point, excess stored energy 108 may be returned to the power grid.

The processors and/or computer readable media may fully or partiallyreside in the interior or exterior of the transport nodes. The steps orfeatures stored in the computer readable media may be fully or partiallyperformed by any of the processors and/or elements in any order.Additionally, one or more steps or features may be added, omitted,combined, performed at a later time, etc.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram 300, according to example embodiments.Referring to FIG. 3 , at block 302, a transport 104 initiates a requestto provide a first portion of stored energy 116 to a charging station112. The charging station 112 provides stored energy 108 to thetransport or vehicle 104, and also may receive a portion of storedenergy 108 from the transport 104. At block 304, the charging station112 determines an actual amount of energy. In one embodiment, thecharging station 112 calculates the actual amount of energy based on afirst destination of the transport 104 and on data received by thecharging station 112 based on a route associated with the firstdestination. The actual amount of energy is not the same amount as thefirst portion of stored energy. At block 306, the transport 104 depositsthe actual amount of energy 124 in the charging station 112. At thispoint, excess stored energy 108 may be returned to the power grid.

FIG. 4 illustrates a machine learning transport network diagram 400,according to example embodiments. The network 400 includes a transportnode 402 that interfaces with a machine learning subsystem 406. Thetransport node includes one or more sensors 404.

The machine learning subsystem 406 contains a learning model 408, whichis a mathematical artifact created by a machine learning training system410 that generates predictions by finding patterns in one or moretraining data sets. In some embodiments, the machine learning subsystem406 resides in the transport node 402. In other embodiments, the machinelearning subsystem 406 resides outside of the transport node 402.

The transport node 402 sends data from the one or more sensors 404 tothe machine learning subsystem 406. The machine learning subsystem 406provides the one or more sensor 404 data to the learning model 408,which returns one or more predictions. The machine learning subsystem406 sends one or more instructions to the transport node 402 based onthe predictions from the learning model 408.

In a further embodiment, the transport node 402 may send the one or moresensor 404 data to the machine learning training system 410. In yetanother embodiment, the machine learning subsystem 406 may sent thesensor 404 data to the machine learning subsystem 410. One or more ofthe applications, features, steps, solutions, etc., described and/ordepicted herein may utilize the machine learning network 400 asdescribed herein.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example vehicle configuration 500 for managingdatabase transactions associated with a vehicle, according to exampleembodiments. Referring to FIG. 5A, as a particular transport/vehicle 525is engaged in transactions (e.g., vehicle service, dealer transactions,delivery/pickup, transportation services, etc.), the vehicle may receiveassets 510 and/or expel/transfer assets 512 according to atransaction(s). A transport processor 526 resides in the vehicle 525 andcommunication exists between the transport processor 526, a database530, a transport processor 526 and the transaction module 520. Thetransaction module 520 may record information, such as assets, parties,credits, service descriptions, date, time, location, results,notifications, unexpected events, etc. Those transactions in thetransaction module 520 may be replicated into a database 530. Thedatabase 530 can be one of a SQL database, an RDBMS, a relationaldatabase, a non-relational database, a blockchain, a distributed ledger,and may be on board the transport, may be off board the transport, maybe accessible directly and/or through a network, or be accessible to thetransport.

FIG. 5B illustrates an example vehicle configuration 550 for managingdatabase transactions conducted among various vehicles, according toexample embodiments. The vehicle 525 may engage with another vehicle 508to perform various actions such as to share, transfer, acquire servicecalls, etc. when the vehicle has reached a status where the servicesneed to be shared with another vehicle. For example, the vehicle 508 maybe due for a battery charge and/or may have an issue with a tire and maybe in route to pick up a package for delivery. A transport processor 528resides in the vehicle 508 and communication exists between thetransport processor 528, a database 554, a transport processor 528 andthe transaction module 552. The vehicle 508 may notify another vehicle525, which is in its network and which operates on its blockchain memberservice. A transport processor 526 resides in the vehicle 525 andcommunication exists between the transport processor 526, a database530, the transport processor 526 and a transaction module 520. Thevehicle 525 may then receive the information via a wirelesscommunication request to perform the package pickup from the vehicle 508and/or from a server (not shown). The transactions are logged in thetransaction modules 552 and 520 of both vehicles. The credits aretransferred from vehicle 508 to vehicle 525 and the record of thetransferred service is logged in the database 530/554 assuming that theblockchains are different from one another, or, are logged in the sameblockchain used by all members. The database 554 can be one of a SQLdatabase, an RDBMS, a relational database, a non-relational database, ablockchain, a distributed ledger, and may be on board the transport, maybe off board the transport, may be accessible directly and/or through anetwork.

FIG. 6A illustrates a blockchain architecture configuration 600,according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 6A, the blockchainarchitecture 600 may include certain blockchain elements, for example, agroup of blockchain member nodes 602-606 as part of a blockchain group610. In one example embodiment, a permissioned blockchain is notaccessible to all parties but only to those members with permissionedaccess to the blockchain data. The blockchain nodes participate in anumber of activities, such as blockchain entry addition and validationprocess (consensus). One or more of the blockchain nodes may endorseentries based on an endorsement policy and may provide an orderingservice for all blockchain nodes. A blockchain node may initiate ablockchain action (such as an authentication) and seek to write to ablockchain immutable ledger stored in the blockchain, a copy of whichmay also be stored on the underpinning physical infrastructure.

The blockchain transactions 620 are stored in memory of computers as thetransactions are received and approved by the consensus model dictatedby the members' nodes. Approved transactions 626 are stored in currentblocks of the blockchain and committed to the blockchain via a committalprocedure, which includes performing a hash of the data contents of thetransactions in a current block and referencing a previous hash of aprevious block. Within the blockchain, one or more smart contracts 630may exist that define the terms of transaction agreements and actionsincluded in smart contract executable application code 632, such asregistered recipients, vehicle features, requirements, permissions,sensor thresholds, etc. The code may be configured to identify whetherrequesting entities are registered to receive vehicle services, whatservice features they are entitled/required to receive given theirprofile statuses and whether to monitor their actions in subsequentevents. For example, when a service event occurs and a user is riding inthe vehicle, the sensor data monitoring may be triggered, and a certainparameter, such as a vehicle charge level, may be identified as beingabove/below a particular threshold for a particular period of time, thenthe result may be a change to a current status, which requires an alertto be sent to the managing party (i.e., vehicle owner, vehicle operator,server, etc.) so the service can be identified and stored for reference.The vehicle sensor data collected may be based on types of sensor dataused to collect information about vehicle's status. The sensor data mayalso be the basis for the vehicle event data 634, such as a location(s)to be traveled, an average speed, a top speed, acceleration rates,whether there were any collisions, was the expected route taken, what isthe next destination, whether safety measures are in place, whether thevehicle has enough charge/fuel, etc. All such information may be thebasis of smart contract terms 630, which are then stored in ablockchain. For example, sensor thresholds stored in the smart contractmay be used as the basis for whether a detected service is necessary andwhen and where the service should be performed.

FIG. 6B illustrates a shared ledger configuration, according to exampleembodiments. Referring to FIG. 6B, the blockchain logic example 640includes a blockchain application interface 642 as an API or plug-inapplication that links to the computing device and execution platformfor a particular transaction. The blockchain configuration 640 mayinclude one or more applications, which are linked to applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) to access and execute storedprogram/application code (e.g., smart contract executable code, smartcontracts, etc.), which can be created according to a customizedconfiguration sought by participants and can maintain their own state,control their own assets, and receive external information. This can bedeployed as an entry and installed, via appending to the distributedledger, on all blockchain nodes.

The smart contract application code 644 provides a basis for theblockchain transactions by establishing application code, which whenexecuted causes the transaction terms and conditions to become active.The smart contract 630, when executed, causes certain approvedtransactions 626 to be generated, which are then forwarded to theblockchain platform 652. The platform includes a security/authorization658, computing devices, which execute the transaction management 656 anda storage portion 654 as a memory that stores transactions and smartcontracts in the blockchain.

The blockchain platform may include various layers of blockchain data,services (e.g., cryptographic trust services, virtual executionenvironment, etc.), and underpinning physical computer infrastructurethat may be used to receive and store new entries and provide access toauditors, which are seeking to access data entries. The blockchain mayexpose an interface that provides access to the virtual executionenvironment necessary to process the program code and engage thephysical infrastructure. Cryptographic trust services may be used toverify entries such as asset exchange entries and keep informationprivate.

The blockchain architecture configuration of FIGS. 6A and 6B may processand execute program/application code via one or more interfaces exposed,and services provided, by the blockchain platform. As a non-limitingexample, smart contracts may be created to execute reminders, updates,and/or other notifications subject to the changes, updates, etc. Thesmart contracts can themselves be used to identify rules associated withauthorization and access requirements and usage of the ledger. Forexample, the information may include a new entry, which may be processedby one or more processing entities (e.g., processors, virtual machines,etc.) included in the blockchain layer. The result may include adecision to reject or approve the new entry based on the criteriadefined in the smart contract and/or a consensus of the peers. Thephysical infrastructure may be utilized to retrieve any of the data orinformation described herein.

Within smart contract executable code, a smart contract may be createdvia a high-level application and programming language, and then writtento a block in the blockchain. The smart contract may include executablecode that is registered, stored, and/or replicated with a blockchain(e.g., distributed network of blockchain peers). An entry is anexecution of the smart contract code, which can be performed in responseto conditions associated with the smart contract being satisfied. Theexecuting of the smart contract may trigger a trusted modification(s) toa state of a digital blockchain ledger. The modification(s) to theblockchain ledger caused by the smart contract execution may beautomatically replicated throughout the distributed network ofblockchain peers through one or more consensus protocols.

The smart contract may write data to the blockchain in the format ofkey-value pairs. Furthermore, the smart contract code can read thevalues stored in a blockchain and use them in application operations.The smart contract code can write the output of various logic operationsinto the blockchain. The code may be used to create a temporary datastructure in a virtual machine or other computing platform. Data writtento the blockchain can be public and/or can be encrypted and maintainedas private. The temporary data that is used/generated by the smartcontract is held in memory by the supplied execution environment, thendeleted once the data needed for the blockchain is identified.

A smart contract executable code may include the code interpretation ofa smart contract, with additional features. As described herein, thesmart contract executable code may be program code deployed on acomputing network, where it is executed and validated by chainvalidators together during a consensus process. The smart contractexecutable code receives a hash and retrieves from the blockchain a hashassociated with the data template created by use of a previously storedfeature extractor. If the hashes of the hash identifier and the hashcreated from the stored identifier template data match, then the smartcontract executable code sends an authorization key to the requestedservice. The smart contract executable code may write to the blockchaindata associated with the cryptographic details.

FIG. 6C illustrates a blockchain configuration for storing blockchaintransaction data, according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG.6C, the example configuration 660 provides for the vehicle 662, the userdevice 664 and a server 666 sharing information with a distributedledger (i.e., blockchain) 668. The server may represent a serviceprovider entity inquiring with a vehicle service provider to share userprofile rating information in the event that a known and establisheduser profile is attempting to rent a vehicle with an established ratedprofile. The server 666 may be receiving and processing data related toa vehicle's service requirements. As the service events occur, such asthe vehicle sensor data indicates a need for fuel/charge, a maintenanceservice, etc., a smart contract may be used to invoke rules, thresholds,sensor information gathering, etc., which may be used to invoke thevehicle service event. The blockchain transaction data 670 is saved foreach transaction, such as the access event, the subsequent updates to avehicle's service status, event updates, etc. The transactions mayinclude the parties, the requirements (e.g., 18 years of age, serviceeligible candidate, valid driver's license, etc.), compensation levels,the distance traveled during the event, the registered recipientspermitted to access the event and host a vehicle service,rights/permissions, sensor data retrieved during the vehicle eventoperation to log details of the next service event and identify avehicle's condition status, and thresholds used to make determinationsabout whether the service event was completed and whether the vehicle'scondition status has changed.

FIG. 6D illustrates blockchain blocks 680 that can be added to adistributed ledger, according to example embodiments, and contents ofblock structures 682A to 682 n. Referring to FIG. 6D, clients (notshown) may submit entries to blockchain nodes to enact activity on theblockchain. As an example, clients may be applications that act onbehalf of a requester, such as a device, person or entity to proposeentries for the blockchain. The plurality of blockchain peers (e.g.,blockchain nodes) may maintain a state of the blockchain network and acopy of the distributed ledger. Different types of blockchainnodes/peers may be present in the blockchain network including endorsingpeers, which simulate and endorse entries proposed by clients andcommitting peers which verify endorsements, validate entries, and commitentries to the distributed ledger. In this example, the blockchain nodesmay perform the role of endorser node, committer node, or both.

The instant system includes a blockchain that stores immutable,sequenced records in blocks, and a state database (current world state)maintaining a current state of the blockchain. One distributed ledgermay exist per channel and each peer maintains its own copy of thedistributed ledger for each channel of which they are a member. Theinstant blockchain is an entry log, structured as hash-linked blockswhere each block contains a sequence of N entries. Blocks may includevarious components such as those shown in FIG. 6D. The linking of theblocks may be generated by adding a hash of a prior block's headerwithin a block header of a current block. In this way, all entries onthe blockchain are sequenced and cryptographically linked togetherpreventing tampering with blockchain data without breaking the hashlinks. Furthermore, because of the links, the latest block in theblockchain represents every entry that has come before it. The instantblockchain may be stored on a peer file system (local or attachedstorage), which supports an append-only blockchain workload.

The current state of the blockchain and the distributed ledger may bestored in the state database. Here, the current state data representsthe latest values for all keys ever included in the chain entry log ofthe blockchain. Smart contract executable code invocations executeentries against the current state in the state database. To make thesesmart contract executable code interactions extremely efficient, thelatest values of all keys are stored in the state database. The statedatabase may include an indexed view into the entry log of theblockchain, it can therefore be regenerated from the chain at any time.The state database may automatically get recovered (or generated ifneeded) upon peer startup, before entries are accepted.

Endorsing nodes receive entries from clients and endorse the entry basedon simulated results. Endorsing nodes hold smart contracts, whichsimulate the entry proposals. When an endorsing node endorses an entry,the endorsing nodes creates an entry endorsement, which is a signedresponse from the endorsing node to the client application indicatingthe endorsement of the simulated entry. The method of endorsing an entrydepends on an endorsement policy that may be specified within smartcontract executable code. An example of an endorsement policy is “themajority of endorsing peers must endorse the entry.” Different channelsmay have different endorsement policies. Endorsed entries are forward bythe client application to an ordering service.

The ordering service accepts endorsed entries, orders them into a block,and delivers the blocks to the committing peers. For example, theordering service may initiate a new block when a threshold of entrieshas been reached, a timer times out, or another condition. In thisexample, blockchain node is a committing peer that has received a datablock 682A for storage on the blockchain. The ordering service may bemade up of a cluster of orderers. The ordering service does not processentries, smart contracts, or maintain the shared ledger. Rather, theordering service may accept the endorsed entries and specifies the orderin which those entries are committed to the distributed ledger. Thearchitecture of the blockchain network may be designed such that thespecific implementation of ‘ordering’ (e.g., Solo, Kafka, BFT, etc.)becomes a pluggable component.

Entries are written to the distributed ledger in a consistent order. Theorder of entries is established to ensure that the updates to the statedatabase are valid when they are committed to the network. Unlike acryptocurrency blockchain system (e.g., Bitcoin, etc.) where orderingoccurs through the solving of a cryptographic puzzle, or mining, in thisexample the parties of the distributed ledger may choose the orderingmechanism that best suits that network.

Referring to FIG. 6D, a block 682A (also referred to as a data block)that is stored on the blockchain and/or the distributed ledger mayinclude multiple data segments such as a block header 684A to 684 n,transaction specific data 686A to 686 n, and block metadata 688A to 688n. It should be appreciated that the various depicted blocks and theircontents, such as block 682A and its contents are merely for purposes ofan example and are not meant to limit the scope of the exampleembodiments. In some cases, both the block header 684A and the blockmetadata 688A may be smaller than the transaction specific data 686A,which stores entry data; however, this is not a requirement. The block682A may store transactional information of N entries (e.g., 100, 500,1000, 2000, 3000, etc.) within the block data 690A to 690 n. The block682A may also include a link to a previous block (e.g., on theblockchain) within the block header 684A. In particular, the blockheader 684A may include a hash of a previous block's header. The blockheader 684A may also include a unique block number, a hash of the blockdata 690A of the current block 682A, and the like. The block number ofthe block 682A may be unique and assigned in an incremental/sequentialorder starting from zero. The first block in the blockchain may bereferred to as a genesis block, which includes information about theblockchain, its members, the data stored therein, etc.

The block data 690A may store entry information of each entry that isrecorded within the block. For example, the entry data may include oneor more of a type of the entry, a version, a timestamp, a channel ID ofthe distributed ledger, an entry ID, an epoch, a payload visibility, asmart contract executable code path (deploy tx), a smart contractexecutable code name, a smart contract executable code version, input(smart contract executable code and functions), a client (creator)identify such as a public key and certificate, a signature of theclient, identities of endorsers, endorser signatures, a proposal hash,smart contract executable code events, response status, namespace, aread set (list of key and version read by the entry, etc.), a write set(list of key and value, etc.), a start key, an end key, a list of keys,a Merkel tree query summary, and the like. The entry data may be storedfor each of the N entries.

In some embodiments, the block data 690A may also store transactionspecific data 686A, which adds additional information to the hash-linkedchain of blocks in the blockchain. Accordingly, the data 686A can bestored in an immutable log of blocks on the distributed ledger. Some ofthe benefits of storing such data 686A are reflected in the variousembodiments disclosed and depicted herein. The block metadata 688A maystore multiple fields of metadata (e.g., as a byte array, etc.).Metadata fields may include signature on block creation, a reference toa last configuration block, an entry filter identifying valid andinvalid entries within the block, last offset persisted of an orderingservice that ordered the block, and the like. The signature, the lastconfiguration block, and the orderer metadata may be added by theordering service. Meanwhile, a committer of the block (such as ablockchain node) may add validity/invalidity information based on anendorsement policy, verification of read/write sets, and the like. Theentry filter may include a byte array of a size equal to the number ofentries in the block data 610A and a validation code identifying whetheran entry was valid/invalid.

The other blocks 682B to 682 n in the blockchain also have headers,files, and values. However, unlike the first block 682A, each of theheaders 684A to 684 n in the other blocks includes the hash value of animmediately preceding block. The hash value of the immediately precedingblock may be just the hash of the header of the previous block or may bethe hash value of the entire previous block. By including the hash valueof a preceding block in each of the remaining blocks, a trace can beperformed from the Nth block back to the genesis block (and theassociated original file) on a block-by-block basis, as indicated byarrows 692, to establish an auditable and immutable chain-of-custody.

The above embodiments may be implemented in hardware, in a computerprogram executed by a processor, in firmware, or in a combination of theabove. A computer program may be embodied on a computer readable medium,such as a storage medium. For example, a computer program may reside inrandom access memory (“RAM”), flash memory, read-only memory (“ROM”),erasable programmable read-only memory (“EPROM”), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (“EEPROM”), registers, hard disk, aremovable disk, a compact disk read-only memory (“CD-ROM”), or any otherform of storage medium known in the art.

An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such thatthe processor may read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anapplication specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”). In the alternative,the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components.For example, FIG. 7 illustrates an example computer system architecture700, which may represent or be integrated in any of the above-describedcomponents, etc.

FIG. 7 is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of useor functionality of embodiments of the application described herein.Regardless, the computing node 700 is capable of being implementedand/or performing any of the functionality set forth hereinabove.

In computing node 700 there is a computer system/server 702, which isoperational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 702 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 702 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 702 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 7 , computer system/server 702 in cloud computing node700 is shown in the form of a general-purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 702 may include, but are notlimited to, one or more processors or processing units 704, a systemmemory 706, and a bus that couples various system components includingsystem memory 706 to processor 704.

The bus represents one or more of any of several types of busstructures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus usingany of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and notlimitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture(ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA)bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, andPeripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 702 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 702, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. System memory706, in one embodiment, implements the flow diagrams of the otherfigures. The system memory 706 can include computer system readablemedia in the form of volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM)708 and/or cache memory 710. Computer system/server 702 may furtherinclude other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computersystem storage media. By way of example only, memory 706 can be providedfor reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magneticmedia (not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although notshown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to aremovable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and anoptical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable,non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other opticalmedia can be provided. In such instances, each can be connected to thebus by one or more data media interfaces. As will be further depictedand described below, memory 706 may include at least one program producthaving a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configuredto carry out the functions of various embodiments of the application.

Program/utility, having a set (at least one) of program modules, may bestored in memory 706 by way of example, and not limitation, as well asan operating system, one or more application programs, other programmodules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one or moreapplication programs, other program modules, and program data or somecombination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of various embodiments of the application as describedherein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentapplication may be embodied as a system, method, or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present application may take theform of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present application may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Computer system/server 702 may also communicate with one or moreexternal devices via an I/O device 712 (such as an I/O adapter), whichmay include a keyboard, a pointing device, a display, a voicerecognition module, etc., one or more devices that enable a user tointeract with computer system/server 702, and/or any devices (e.g.,network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 702 tocommunicate with one or more other computing devices. Such communicationcan occur via I/O interfaces of the device 712. Still yet, computersystem/server 702 can communicate with one or more networks such as alocal area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or apublic network (e.g., the Internet) via a network adapter. As depicted,device 712 communicates with the other components of computersystem/server 702 via a bus. It should be understood that although notshown, other hardware and/or software components could be used inconjunction with computer system/server 702. Examples, include, but arenot limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units,external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archivalstorage systems, etc.

Although an exemplary embodiment of at least one of a system, method,and non-transitory computer readable medium has been illustrated in theaccompanied drawings and described in the foregoing detaileddescription, it will be understood that the application is not limitedto the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements,modifications, and substitutions as set forth and defined by thefollowing claims. For example, the capabilities of the system of thevarious figures can be performed by one or more of the modules orcomponents described herein or in a distributed architecture and mayinclude a transmitter, receiver or pair of both. For example, all orpart of the functionality performed by the individual modules, may beperformed by one or more of these modules. Further, the functionalitydescribed herein may be performed at various times and in relation tovarious events, internal or external to the modules or components. Also,the information sent between various modules can be sent between themodules via at least one of: a data network, the Internet, a voicenetwork, an Internet Protocol network, a wireless device, a wired deviceand/or via plurality of protocols. Also, the messages sent or receivedby any of the modules may be sent or received directly and/or via one ormore of the other modules.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that a “system” could be embodiedas a personal computer, a server, a console, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a cell phone, a tablet computing device, a smartphoneor any other suitable computing device, or combination of devices.Presenting the above-described functions as being performed by a“system” is not intended to limit the scope of the present applicationin any way but is intended to provide one example of many embodiments.Indeed, methods, systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may beimplemented in localized and distributed forms consistent with computingtechnology.

It should be noted that some of the system features described in thisspecification have been presented as modules, in order to moreparticularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, amodule may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom verylarge-scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelfsemiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discretecomponents. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardwaredevices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable arraylogic, programmable logic devices, graphics processing units, or thelike.

A module may also be at least partially implemented in software forexecution by various types of processors. An identified unit ofexecutable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions that may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, theexecutables of an identified module need not be physically locatedtogether but may comprise disparate instructions stored in differentlocations that when joined logically together, comprise the module andachieve the stated purpose for the module. Further, modules may bestored on a computer-readable medium, which may be, for instance, a harddisk drive, flash device, random access memory (RAM), tape, or any othersuch medium used to store data.

Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single instruction, ormany instructions, and may even be distributed over several differentcode segments, among different programs, and across several memorydevices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustratedherein within modules and may be embodied in any suitable form andorganized within any suitable type of data structure. The operationaldata may be collected as a single data set or may be distributed overdifferent locations including over different storage devices, and mayexist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system ornetwork.

It will be readily understood that the components of the application, asgenerally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may bearranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.Thus, the detailed description of the embodiments is not intended tolimit the scope of the application as claimed but is merelyrepresentative of selected embodiments of the application.

One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that theabove may be practiced with steps in a different order, and/or withhardware elements in configurations that are different than those whichare disclosed. Therefore, although the application has been describedbased upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those ofskill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternativeconstructions would be apparent.

While preferred embodiments of the present application have beendescribed, it is to be understood that the embodiments described areillustrative only and the scope of the application is to be definedsolely by the appended claims when considered with a full range ofequivalents and modifications (e.g., protocols, hardware devices,software platforms etc.) thereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: notifying, by a chargingstation, a needed amount of energy from a transport; determining, by thecharging station, a first additional amount of energy needed by thetransport to reach the charging station and deposit the needed amount ofenergy based on a first route; determining, by the charging station, asecond additional amount of energy needed by the transport to leave thecharging station based on a second route; and receiving, by the chargingstation, the needed amount of energy based on the first additionalamount of energy and the second additional amount of energy.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: calculating, by the chargingstation, a distance surplus based on a current location of the transportand one or more of weather conditions, road conditions, roadconstruction, and a condition of the transport; and increasing, by thecharging station, the needed amount of energy by a third additionalamount of energy reflecting the distance surplus.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising: calculating, by the charging station, one or morealternate routes to a destination; and determining, by a chargingstation, an optimal alternate route, wherein the optimal alternate routecomprises the one or more alternate routes having a lowest actual amountof energy than others of the one or more alternate routes.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the charging station,that the needed amount of energy is less than a threshold; redirecting,by the charging station, another transport to take a second route longerthan a first route, wherein the second route comprises an original routeassigned to the transport; and redirecting, by the charging station, thetransport to take a shorter route to the charging station.
 5. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the charging station,that the needed amount of energy is less than a threshold; assigning, bythe charging station, another charging station; and redirecting, by thecharging station, the transport to proceed to the other chargingstation.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: calculating, bythe charging station, changes to the needed amount of energy based on aplurality of intervals; and increasing, by the charging station, theneeded amount of energy by a third additional amount of energyreflecting the plurality of intervals.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: calculating, by the charging station, changes to the neededamount of energy based on an additional trip; and increasing, by thecharging station, the needed amount of energy by a third additionalamount of energy reflecting the additional trip.
 8. A charging station,comprising: a processor; and a memory, coupled to the processor,comprising instructions that when executed by the processor areconfigured to: notify a transport of a needed amount of energy from thetransport; determine a first additional amount of energy needed by thetransport to reach the charging station and deposit the needed amount ofenergy based on a first route; determine a second additional amount ofenergy needed by the transport to leave the charging station based on asecond route; and receive the needed amount of energy based on the firstadditional amount of energy and the second additional amount of energy.9. The charging station of claim 8, wherein the charging station isfurther configured to: calculate a distance surplus based on a currentlocation of the transport and one or more of weather conditions, roadconditions, road construction, and a condition of the transport; andincrease the needed amount of energy by a third additional amount ofenergy that reflects the distance surplus.
 10. The charging station ofclaim 8, wherein the charging station is further configured to:calculate one or more alternate routes to a destination; and determinean optimal alternate route, wherein the optimal alternate routecomprises the one or more alternate routes with a lowest actual amountof energy than others of the one or more alternate routes.
 11. Thecharging station of claim 8, wherein the charging station is furtherconfigured to: determine that the needed amount of energy is less than athreshold; redirect another transport to take a second route longer thana first route, wherein the second route comprises an original routeassigned to the transport; and redirect the transport to take a shorterroute to the charging station.
 12. The charging station of claim 8,wherein the charging station is further configured to: determine thatthe needed amount of energy is less than a threshold; assign anothercharging station; and redirect the transport to proceed to the othercharging station.
 13. The charging station of claim 8, wherein thecharging station is further configured to: calculate changes to theneeded amount of energy based on a plurality of intervals; and increasethe needed amount of energy by a third additional amount of energyreflecting the plurality of intervals.
 14. The charging station of claim8, wherein the charging station is further configured to: calculatechanges to the needed amount of energy based on an additional trip; andincrease the needed amount of energy by a third additional amount ofenergy that reflects the additional trip.
 15. A non-transitory computerreadable medium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor,cause the processor to perform: notifying, by a charging station, aneeded amount of energy from a transport; determining, by the chargingstation, a first additional amount of energy needed by the transport toreach the charging station and deposit the needed amount of energy basedon a first route; determining, by the charging station, a secondadditional amount of energy needed by the transport to leave thecharging station based on a second route; and receiving, by the chargingstation, the needed amount of energy based on the first additionalamount of energy and the second additional amount of energy.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein theinstructions cause the processor to perform: calculating, by thecharging station, a distance surplus based on a current location of thetransport and one or more of weather conditions, road conditions, roadconstruction, and a condition of the transport; and increasing, by thecharging station, the needed amount of energy by a third additionalamount of energy reflecting the distance surplus.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause theprocessor to perform: calculating, by the charging station, one or morealternate routes to a destination; and determining, by a chargingstation, an optimal alternate route, wherein the optimal alternate routecomprises the one or more alternate routes having a lowest actual amountof energy than others of the one or more alternate routes.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein theinstructions cause the processor to perform: determining, by thecharging station, that the needed amount of energy is less than athreshold; redirecting, by the charging station, another transport totake a second route longer than a first route, wherein the second routecomprises an original route assigned to the transport; and redirecting,by the charging station, the transport to take a shorter route to thecharging station.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform:determining, by the charging station, that the needed amount of energyis less than a threshold; assigning, by the charging station, anothercharging station; and redirecting, by the charging station, thetransport to proceed to the other charging station.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein theinstructions cause the processor to perform: calculating, by thecharging station, changes to the needed amount of energy based on aplurality of intervals; and increasing, by the charging station, theneeded amount of energy by a third additional amount of energyreflecting the plurality of intervals.